


Stephen doesn't like to sugarcoat things

by Doteruna



Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anti-Tony Stark, Avengers Movie Night, Avengers Tower, Background Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, M/M, Manipulation, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Stephen Has No Chill, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Wade doesn't actually show up but he is mentioned, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doteruna/pseuds/Doteruna
Summary: Stephen directly confronts Tony about his choice to bring a child onto the battlefield during Civil War. The fact that Tony brought a kid into the fight made me sad because it seemed like he knew that some of Steve's side would be reluctant to hurt Peter once they figured out how old he was, and that Tony was taking advantage of that on the down-low so Doctor Strange is my voice of reason





	

**Author's Note:**

> From the moment Peter Parker was shown during Civil War, I was a little pissed because he was too young. How could Tony morally justify putting someone who hadn't even hit puberty onto the field to risk his life over what was essentially a domestic squabble? Bucky doesn't try to harm Peter during the airport fight after he hears Peter speak, knowing that Spider-Man was actually Spider-Prepubescent boy. Ugh. Here ya go

“Clint, no, you’ve already had three.”

 

Clint drew his hand back from the brownie platter with a pout, Natasha’s red eyebrow raised high. He slunk to the other side of the couch and flopped down next to Bruce, who was steadily typing away at his Stark-issue laptop. Tony was spread over the couch on Bruce’s other side, and Steve was in the loveseat next to it, Bucky curled into his lap like some type of overgrown cat. Natasha was fiddling with her Widow Bites at the living room table and Vision was speaking quietly with Wanda in the corner about which movie to watch. Thor was puttering around in the walk-in pantry, likely looking for Pop-Tarts, and Stephen was nestled into the armchair on the opposite side of the couch inspecting some spells he’d drawn in the air, his cloak floating in the air behind him.

 

They were almost ready for their monthly movie night, just waiting for their newest addition, Peter Parker. The kid was too young to be a real Avenger, but he’d been brought into the world of superheroes by Tony and had a penchant for getting into trouble, so the Avengers decided to keep him lightly involved until he turned eighteen. After the events of Zemo and the Sokovia Accords, the Avengers had mostly made back up, finding a middle ground to tentatively walk on. Tony and Steve were still antsy around each other, but not uncomfortable, and each day was getting better. With every mission they were sent on, the air became less tense and all the Avengers could tell. 

 

“Hey, sorry I’m late, had to talk my way out of a school dance,” Peter said as he walked in, dropping his backpack next to Stephen’s chair and wedging himself next to Tony on the couch. The genius groaned and let his head drop onto the cushion behind him, muttering something about kids and how did he put up with toddles in spandex. “Anything cool and-or exciting happen that I didn’t hear about on the news?”

 

“Plenty, kid,” Bucky muttered. He was still a little salty about being webbed to the floor in the airport, even though Sam had been stuck there too. The other man was off at a training site with Rhodey, helping develop a new program for the Air Force. “Nothing you need to know about.”

 

“Buck, play nice,” Steve admonished. “He’s just a kid.”

 

“Hey, you were getting beat up in alleys when you were his age,” Bucky retorted, and the couple dissolved into a quiet debate about who saved who all those decades ago. Natasha just shook her head and gestured for Vision to queue up the movie he and Wanda had decided on. The telltale music of Star Wars began to play as everyone settled into their spots for the movie, but Tony waved for FRIDAY to pause it. 

 

“Gotta make popcorn,” he insisted, half-jogging to the pantry. “What does everyone want to drink?”

 

Lots of mead and several bottles of beer and cider were placed on the table, almost everyone reaching for one. Steve and Bucky were sharing one like the disgustingly cute pair they were, and Tony was about to hit play when he saw Peter’s hand creeping towards the coffee table. 

 

“Nu-uh kid, you’re still at braces-wearing age,” Tony said as he tapped the teenager’s hand. “No alcohol until you’re at least old enough for your voice to drop.” 

 

“Aw, come on, Tony, I helped save the world!” Peter didn’t whine, but it was a close thing, and Steve snorted. 

 

“Nope, you were invited to a fight that was practically a domestic squabble between two men with funny costumes,” Clint corrected him. “It was fun watching you swing around though, you made a nice target wearing bright red.” He reached forward to grab the remote from the table, but it suddenly disappeared from under his fingers. 

 

“Why did you involve Peter, Tony?” Stephen asked as he turned the remote over in his shaky hands. His face was neutral and his tone steady, but it seemed as if all the fun in the room had been sucked out the window. 

 

“I needed someone with skills and powers that would be on my side,” Tony said bluntly. “And Peter was the best choice.” 

 

“Hm, but why Peter? There are plenty of ‘enhanced’ walking around the streets of New York, all over the country, really. Plenty of people were on your side, as you put it. Why Peter?”

 

“I--” Tony started, but then shut his mouth, thinking. 

 

“I’m not trying to put you on the spot, Tony. It’s something that’s bothered me for a bit now, ever since I first met the boy. I went searching for my powers; Peter was given them without his consent. You took advantage of that.”

 

Natasha could swear that she saw the cape shimmy as if chuckling.

 

“You brought a child onto the field. Legality aside, you put a kid into the middle of a fight meant for adults, with very real adult consequences. He could easily have died.”

 

“So could any of you!” Peter burst out. “Everyone was trying to kill each other. I wasn’t in any more danger than anyone else!”

 

“But you were, Petey,” Clint butted in. “Like I said, big bright target. You don’t have any of the training that the rest of us do have. You were in the same situation as all of us, but without the assets that we had.” 

 

“I tried to kill you,” Bucky said quietly, and everyone turned to look at him. “When he came through the window of the airport and kicked Sam. I threw my arm at you with the intention of killing you, Peter. You’re lucky that you were able to stop my fist, because it would have shattered your skull. And then you started talking, and I realized you were just a kid, and I couldn’t keep fighting you like that.” 

 

“And that’s the root of the issue!” Stephen all but crowed. “You couldn’t go all out on him. Tony, you brought in an element that the others would have a hard time justifying using violence against, while he was able to go all out against them. You effectively brought a hostage onto the field, even if that wasn’t your intention.”

 

Tony now looked suitably chastised, so Stephen continued. 

 

“I don’t think you considered it like this before, but by bringing Peter into the fray and putting him on the field, asking him to fight, you were using him because you knew subconsciously that Steve and his team wouldn’t be able to fight him like they fought you because they were unwilling to hurt a kid.”

 

“I mean, Steve did drop an airplane onto him,” Bucky quipped, and Steve pinched his thigh, red-faced. 

 

“Well, I was getting beat up in alleys when I was his age,” he said lamely. 

 

“My point, guys, is that Tony needs to back down from spontaneously visiting kids and offering them superhero costumes. And Peter, you need to realize that while you do have enhanced abilities, your age puts other people at a moral disadvantage, and that’s not exactly very superhero-like.” Stephen nodded and went back to his spellcasting as if he hadn’t just derailed the entire evening, and Tony slumped down into the cushions, pushing Peter away from him. 

 

“Yeah, people like that Deadpool character. What an ass, he stole a bottle of tequila from one of my nests once,” Clint was definitely pouting this time. 

 

“Oh, yeah, Tony, about Deadpool,” Peter began. “Well, I’m almost seventeen, and really I’m very mature, and Wade’s not that bad of a guy at all and--”


End file.
